Amateur Golfer Scores Rare Hole-in-One At Masters Tournament

Amateur Golfer Scores Rare Hole-in-One At Masters Tournament...

A 22-year-old amateur golfer stunned spectators at the Masters Tournament on Sunday with a hole-in-one on Augusta National's famous 16th hole. The shot marked just the 34th ace in Masters history and the first by an amateur since 2012, sending social media into a frenzy.

College golfer Jake Carter from Clemson University achieved the feat during his final round at 3:42 p.m. ET. His perfect 8-iron shot from 170 yards landed just short of the pin before rolling straight into the cup, sparking wild cheers from the Georgia crowd.

The moment went viral within minutes, with ESPN's broadcast clip gaining over 2 million views by Sunday evening. Tournament officials confirmed it was only the fourth hole-in-one ever recorded at the challenging 16th hole during Masters competition.

Carter, who received a special invitation to compete as the U.S. Amateur runner-up, told reporters he "blacked out for a second" when the ball disappeared. The achievement earned him a crystal vase from Augusta National, continuing the tournament's tradition of awarding aces with special trophies.

Golf analysts noted the shot's significance coming during Masters Sunday, when pressure peaks and hole locations are typically most difficult. The last amateur to ace a hole at Augusta was Hideki Matsuyama in 2012, who later won the tournament as a professional in 2021.

Viewers flooded social media with reactions, pushing #MastersAce to the top of U.S. Twitter trends. Many highlighted the poetic timing as Carter's shot occurred exactly 40 years after the legendary "Shot Heard 'Round the World" by Tom Watson at the same hole in 1986.

The Masters Committee announced Monday morning they would preserve Carter's divot and the exact ball position in their tournament archives. Carter finished his round at 4-over-par, but his place in Masters lore appears secure after the career-defining moment.